Food and fashion are both "passion categories" and clever exhibitors combined the two. Here are just a few of the awesome examples of how booth people broke the mold and wore their brand colors to attract attention. Gives a whole new meaning to "good taste!"
And, of course, we saw a few truly stand-out displays --- many of which were constructed on a tight budget.
...

The empty booth...exhibitors on the phone. It's always the same from show to show. You spend all this money and then you don't show up or you spend your time chatting with each other. C'mon people! Where are your table manners?
...

What are the hot (and cool) trends of 2013? The world seems to have gone nuts and gluten-free! And cheese springs eternal!
We also saw a comeback of some of our favorite childhood brands.
What's in a name? Sometimes a sm...

Despite the use of technology in marketing trade shows, we were disappointed with the fact that high-tech gizmos and gadgets are not necessarily being used to deliver better customer service. The wait for badges the first day (despite the fancy-schmancy barcode system) was exhausting, and exhibitors needed to remove badges from their plastic holders to scan them. We are hungry for the day when technology can really make life better, faster, and cheaper! We loved the recharging station, however...

We could just as easily have called this "Best of Show" because we were truly impressed! We've all heard the term "personal branding," and it came alive as company owners worked their own booths, chatted with their fans, handed out samples and demonstrated that they are real people and not just faces and names on labels.
A special shout-out to Brad, Justin, David, Kathie, Dave and countless others who serve as the faces and voices of their brands.
&nb...